On Windows 10, you can roll back to a previous version of Microsoft Edge as needed, and you can complete this task in two different ways, and in this guide, you’ll learn how. Unlike the legacy version, the Chromium version of Microsoft Edge receives updates periodically indefinitely from the operating system to deliver fixes, improvements, and new features in the same timely fashion as other modern browsers (such as Firefox and Chrome).
The only problem about this approach is that sometimes new versions of Microsoft Edge can rollout with bugs or cause unexpected problems. Although there’s no longer an easy way to uninstall the browser on Windows 10, there’s an option to rollback to a previous version that allows you to troubleshoot problems or revert to an earlier version when everything was working correctly using an .msi file or Group Policy.
The feature is meant for organizations, but anyone can use it to rollback to a previous version of Microsoft Edge.
In this guide, you’ll learn the two supported methods to downgrade to an older version of Microsoft Edge on Windows 10.
- Rollback to previous version of Edge manually
- Rollback to previous version of Edge with Group Policy
Rollback to previous version of Edge manually
Starting with version 86, you can downgrade the Chromium version of Microsoft Edge by downloading and installing an .msi file, but you must first disable updates for the browser, which requires to install additional Group Policy templates to control the browser settings.
Step 1: Install Microsoft Edge Group Policy templates
To install the Group Policy templates to manage Microsoft Edge, use these steps:
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Open Microsoft Edge for business website.
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Under the “Policy File” section, click the Download button.
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Select the version of Microsoft Edge. (Usually, you want to use the latest stable version available.)
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Select the build (latest version available).
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Select the platform. For example, Windows 64-bit.
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Click the Get policy files option.
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Click the Accept & download button.
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Double-click to open the MicrosoftEdgePolicyTemplates.zip file.
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Click the Extract all button from the “Compressed Folder Tools” tab.
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(Optional) Select the location to extract the files.
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Check the Show extracted files when complete option.
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Click the Extract button.
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Browse the following path inside the (extracted) “MicrosoftEdgePolicyTemplates” folder:
windows\admx
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Select the msedge.admx and msedgeupdate.admx files and click the Copy option from the “Home” tab.
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Browse to the following path:
C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions
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Click the Paste button from the “Home” tab.
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In the “admx” folder, inside the “MicrosoftEdgePolicyTemplates” folder, open the language folder that represents your language. For example, en-US.
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Select the msedge.adml and msedgeupdate.adml files and click the Copy option from the “Home” tab.
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Browse to the following path that matches your language:
C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\en-US
In the above command, make sure to change en-US for the folder that matches your language.
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Click the Paste button from the “Home” tab.
Once you complete the steps, you can continue disabling updates for Microsoft Edge.
Step 2: Disable Microsoft Edge updates
To disable updates for Microsoft Edge, use these steps:
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Open Start.
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Search for gpedit and click the top result to open the Group Policy Editor.
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Browse the following path:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge Update > Applications > Microsoft Edge
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Double-click the Update policy override policy.
Quick tip: If you want to disable updates for all the channels (stable, Beta, Dev, and Canary) of the browser, you can the configure the Update policy override policy onComputer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge Update
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Select the Enabled option.
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Under the “Options” section, use the drop-down menu and select the Update disabled option.
After you complete the steps, you can proceed downloading the installer for the older version of Microsoft Edge you are planning to downgrade.
Step 3: Download older version of Microsoft Edge
To download an older version of Microsoft Edge, use these steps:
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Open Microsoft Edge download website.
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Select the older version, build, and platform.
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Click the Download button.
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Click the Accept and download button.
Once you complete the steps, you can use the files with the instructions below to rollback to a previous version of Microsoft Edge.
Step 4: Rollback to previous version of Microsoft Edge
To rollback to an earlier version of Microsoft Edge, use these steps:
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Open Start.
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Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
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Type the following command to change folder location to where the installer is located and press Enter:
cd C:\PATH\TO\MSI-INSTALLER
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Type the following command to downgrade the version of Edge and press Enter:
C:\PATH\TO\MSI-INSTALLER>msiexec /I FileName.msi /qn ALLOWDOWNGRADE=1
In the command, make sure to update the C:\PATH\TO\MSI-INSTALLER with the path to the installer location. Also, replace FileName.msi for the actual name of the installer.
For example, this command downgrades Edge with the MicrosoftEdgeEnterpriseX64.msi version 84 located in the downloads folder:
C:\Users\m__la\Downloads>msiexec /I MicrosoftEdgeEnterpriseX64.msi /qn ALLOWDOWNGRADE=1
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Reopen Microsoft Edge.
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Click on the Settings and more (ellipsis) menu button and select the Settings option.
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Click on About Microsoft Edge.
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Confirm the older version has been installed.
After you complete the steps, the current version of browser will be removed and the older version will be installed on Windows 10.
Rollback to previous version of Edge with Group Policy
You can also perform a graceful downgrade configuring three specific Group Policy Objects. This method also requires to install the policy templates to control the browser using the Group Policy Editor. If you don’t have the templates installed, refer to previous steps to download and install the Microsoft Edge policy templates on Windows 10.
To rollback Microsoft Edge to a previous version with Group Policy, use these steps:
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Open Start.
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Search for gpedit and click the top result to open the Group Policy Editor.
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Browse the following path:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge Update > Applications > Microsoft Edge
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Double-click the Rollback to target version policy.
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Select the Enabled option.
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Click the Apply button.
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Click the OK button.
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Double-click the Target version override policy.
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Select the Enabled option.
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Under the “Options” section, in the Target version field, specify the exact version of Microsoft Edge you want to rollback. For example, 86.0.622.69.
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Click the Apply button.
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Click the OK button.
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Double-click the Update policy override policy.
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Select the Enabled option.
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Under the “Options” section, use the drop-down menu and select the Always allow updates option.
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Click the Apply button.
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Click the OK button.
After you complete the steps, the next time that Microsoft Edge checks for updates automatically (usually every ten hours), it should download and install the older version of the browser.
Although there are supported ways to downgrade to an earlier release of Microsoft Edge, these options are only meant to troubleshoot problems or temporarily fix a specific issue. It’s always recommended to use the browser with the latest updates to make sure you’re using the most secure version available.